Living in Los Cabos - A Year in Review
It’s officially been over a year since my wife and I made the life changing decision to move to Los Cabos. We’ve experienced a lot, so I’ve broken it down into different categories based on the questions we get asked from family and friends. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive analysis of living in Los Cabos, it’s simply a breakdown of our experience thus far to give you some insight on what life can be like here.
Overall we’ve really enjoyed living here. After we adjusted to the slower pace of life and learned to better appreciate individual moments, we were able to fully enjoy the lifestyle Los Cabos offers.
Is Cabo San Lucas the same as Los Cabos?
Not really. Los Cabos means “the capes” and is the entire area from Cabo San Lucas to San Jose del Cabo. We live in San Jose del Cabo, the sister city of Cabo San Lucas, located 30 minutes Northeast. So while much of our experience is in San Jose, with Cabo being so close, we spend an ample amount of time there as well. San Jose is smaller, cleaner, and quieter. There are a few places open past 10pm but not nearly as many as in Cabo. Cabo has a much bigger nightlife and party scene, more activity options, restaurants, and stores.
Cabo San Lucas is still the main destination for foreigners, however, San Jose is growing rapidly as more people are discovering its charm. We prefer San Jose and how quickly you can get from downtown to a remote beach on the East Cape. We also live by the estuary, which enhances our non-ocean view with tons of palm trees and birds.
Downtown San Jose is beautiful. The streets are clean and lined with amazing restaurants, art galleries, cafes, and shops. The lights and papel picado hanging from above add to the overall ambiance. We’ve discovered numerous restaurants with delicious cuisine from Italian, to Asian, to Mexican and more, which you can learn more about on my Handbook page. Every Thursday night is the Art Walk where local artists display their work in the main plaza, performers dance and play music, and vendors sell locally made honey, jewelry, coffee, and a variety of other goods.
Is it safe to drive in Los Cabos?
Driving in Los Cabos takes some getting used to. It’s a different driving experience than we were used to in the US, both with positives and negatives. On one hand, due to many common practices in the US not being customary here, like giving the right of way to a vehicle already in a traffic circle, each driver is more aware of what the others are doing and is ready to respond should the situation call for it. In the US for example, when the light turns green, many people just go, without really checking all around to ensure it’s safe to proceed. This leads to many fatal intersection crashes. On the other hand, a lack of basic rules, like wearing a seat belt or a helmet, cause minor incidents to carry heavier consequences.
Many people are concerned with having a foreign plated car in Los Cabos. We had California license plates on our Jeep for the first six months and never had any issues with police. We have since registered our vehicle with South Dakota. We did this since you don’t need to be a resident there and can renew the registration online without a smog check. For more detailed information on this process, send me an email.
Traffic has become more common in the past 5 years and we notice it when heading from Cabo to San Jose between 5:30pm and 7pm. Since there is only one main road from city to city, an accident can cause a lengthy delay. Traffic can also get bad in other locations depending on the day of the week and any events going on. The good news is San Jose is very walkable, taking only about 20 minutes to walk from the hotel zone (the Vidanta side) all the way to the middle of downtown. On the way you’ll pass shops, restaurants, and bars. If walking doesn’t work for you, Uber is popular here and very cheap and fast. Most times I’ve ordered an Uber they are at my location in less than a couple of minutes and cost about $5 USD.
The roads are generally well maintained, but pot holes seem to appear from one day to the next. The city is fairly quick about fixing the holes. There are also many areas with dirt roads, so we recommend a 4x4 vehicle to prevent any long walks. Flat tires seem to happen down here much more frequently than in the US. We had two in 2023 alone. Just another reason for a 4x4 with good tread depth.
Is it expensive to live in Los Cabos?
Los Cabos ins’t as cheap as it once was. Sadly, the days of the small beach town are over. But this isn’t all bad. As the area has grown, so to have the food, shopping, rental, investment, and activity options. With year over year increases in tourism, areas in close proximity to hotels and resorts have prices comparable to California in terms of eating out, buying drinks, and some services. Luckily, just outside these areas there are numerous places with much more affordable food, drink, and service options. Visitors now have the choice between keeping it low key for dinner or splurging on a fancier meal.
In my Handbook I provide dining options across all price ranges. Some of the best food we’ve had has been at the lower end of the price spectrum including Tropico Coastal Kitchen, Taqueria Mexico, and Tacos Rossy. All of these restaurants are on the way to downtown from the hotel zone.
We spend about $600 USD a month on groceries for two people. We primarily shop at La Comer and Costco. This seems high and is higher than what we were spending in Long Beach, CA eating the same things. We eat pretty basic items and rarely splurge on high end foods. I’ve compared the prices at La Comer and other grocery stores in the area. While some items were less expensive at La Comer, some items were also more expensive, leading to a tie.
The Real Estate Market
The housing market in Los Cabos has been on the rise in the past few years as it has in many destination cities. Many people have the ability to work remotely and capitalize on living here. There are properties available across the entire price spectrum featuring different amenities, vibes, and styles.
The rental market is also booming with a plethora of options available for short and long-term lease. For more information on renting, buying, selling, or investing in Los Cabos real estate, send me a message.
Things to do in Los Cabos
In terms of getting outside and enjoying the sun, Los Cabos has it all. We’ve snorkeled in Isla Espiritu in La Paz and Cabo Pulmo National Park which we highly recommend. We went whale watching out of the Puerto Los Cabos Marina which was an incredible experience being so close to playful whales. One whale in particular was splashing us with water and doing acrobatics right next to the boat. Check out my reel on Instagram to see what I mean. We visited Balandra Beach, ranked as one of Mexico’s most beautiful beaches. We’ve spent time in Todos Santos, Los Barriles, La Paz, and Los Cerritos. Many of our adventures and activities can be found in my Handbook.
If you’re interested in activities, there’s no shortage of vendors around town selling packages for snorkeling, horseback riding, ATVs, and anything else you’d want to do. We’ve had some luck negotiating prices with these vendors and suggest shopping around for the best prices.
Is it safe to live in Los Cabos?
Safety is something many people ask us about and usually have preconceived notions about. To be honest, we feel safer here than we did in Long Beach, CA. We haven’t had any issues with crime or violence. We haven’t been uncomfortable walking around town or eating off the beaten path. It’s very important to the Mexican government to keep Los Cabos a safe place for residents and visitors. We frequently see police cars and National Guard trucks patrolling. Los Cabos was ranked as one of the safest cities in Mexico. Act as you would while visiting any city and you will have no problems.
Stores & Shopping
We get groceries at La Comer which has just about anything you can think of. They have a section dedicated to imported items, no sugar items, pharmacy, seafood, fresh tortillas, produce, etc. The only thing I haven’t been able to find is cajun seasoning. There is a Walmart in town as well as some other basics like Home Depot, Costco, Radioshack, etc. The Costco gets very busy and sometimes the parking lot is complete gridlock, but it has an ocean view. In terms of clothes shopping, most big name brands will be in the mall in Cabo. Unlike the US, there isn’t a Target in every plaza here. In fact, there isn’t a Target at all. When we visit California, we realize how many options there are which we previously took for granted.
We’ve also noticed many businesses here don’t have much of an online presence. Often they will just have a phone number on Google or a link to their Facebook page. If you need more information, you’ll have to call or visit them in person.
Weather in Los Cabos
It’s no surprise Los Cabos has amazing weather. Most days of the year are sunny and 80 degrees. July through October are hot, with temperatures regularly pushing to the mid 90’s. Hurricane season is June to November, but we didn’t experience stormy weather until October. We lucked out and only had mild storms this past year with minimal lasting effects. During this time it is good practice to be prepared with nonperishable food and extra water. Many buildings have hurricane shutters and other preventative measures to limit the impact of such weather. An app called Windy comes in handy when watching the path of an incoming storm.
Can you Drink Tap Water in Los Cabos?
While the tap water in Los Cabos is up to North American standards, it is still recommended to drink bottled or filtered water. If you’re here for an extended period of time, I recommend investing in a water dispenser. This will save you money in the long run as you can buy 20 liter bottles for 20 pesos or about $1.17 USD from various water distributors. Another option is to install a filtration system on your faucet. For cooking and cleaning, using tap water is perfectly fine.
Since Los Cabos is a desert, water is even more precious here. There is a limited amount of water and this requires each of us to be responsible with its use. Homes and other buildings have cisterns that fill up when the municipal water supply is turned on. When the water supply is turned off, the home and building will solely use water pumped from the cistern.
Is Cabo Good for Fishing?
The world-class fishing is perhaps my favorite part of living in Cabo. I’ve always enjoyed fishing and grew up casting lines in Upstate New York for Bass, Walleye, and Pike. The fishing here is different. You can charter a boat and catch any of the amazing sport fish species present in Cabo’s waters like Tuna, Marlin, Swordfish, Dorado, Wahoo, and Snapper.
However, I prefer surf fishing. You get a beach day, and a fishing day, all in one. From the beach I’ve landed Mahi Mahi, Roosterfish, huge Sierra Mackerel, Jack Crevalle, Pompano, Houndfish, and a variety of other species. No matter the time of year, you can catch beautiful fish from the beach here.
Have specific questions about moving to or living in Baja? Send me a message!